Violet Mage
by MeanMrsMustard
Summary: Violet's starting high school, and as far as she knows, her life is normal. She doesn't know her best friend's a superhero, but what she doesn't know hasn't hurt her over the years. One day, she discovers powers of her own: arcane powers.
1. Day of Changes

_Author's note:_

_Yes, this one's not a oneshot. Anyway, I think I might upload Chapter 2 later today or before I leave for school tomorrow. But enough chit-chat! It's Violet time!_

* * *

"Mom, I don't get it. We usually go back-to-school shopping about a week before school actually starts. Why are we doing it so early this year?"

"Relax, Vi. It's only the first week of August."

"But I'm still confused…"

Mrs. Heaslip sighed. "You know how WordGirl got a costume upgrade over the summer?"

"Yeah, but I'm still not sure why. I liked the old look."

"Vi, you know, in other genres, people wear different things every day."

"That sounds like it would be confusing… but what does it have to do with us?"

"Well, in our genre, clothes are just visual shorthand. That's why we have different outfits for winter and sometimes summer."

"Oh, that makes sense. I think I'm starting to get your point…"

"Well, a costume change is one of the easiest ways to convey aging. Since it's your first year of high school, you're getting a costume change that you'll keep until graduation."

"Oh, that makes sense!"

The car pulled into the parking lot, and both Heaslip women climbed out. The mall was full of teenagers, most of whom Violet recognized. Especially one boy who didn't notice her until she tapped him on the shoulder.

The Asian teen span around until he faced Violet, and he started to grin.

"Hey there, Violet!" Violet's boyfriend put his arms around her shoulders.

"Todd! It's been forever!" Violet hugged him back with a smile.

"Yeah, I know. Wow, you grew a lot over the summer! I think you're taller than I am now."

"Oh, I don't think that'll last too long." Violet was barely taller.

"I see you're still wearing your junior high outfit."

"Yeah, we just got here. What's your excuse?"

"I got here about ten minutes ago, and my parents left me to my own devices. But I'm really not sure what to wear."

"Neither am I. Just find something you like, I guess."

"Easier said than done, Vi."

"I bet I'll be able to find my outfit before you."

Todd laughed and pecked Violet on the nose.

"Well, I hate to disappoint, but I hate losing more! You're on!"

The pair dashed off in separate directions, Scoops on his own and Violet with her mother in tow. Violet could practically hear the montage music starting…

Jeans and a turtleneck? _Artistic, but too plain. _

Tunic and leggings? _Violet's mother liked it, but it wasn't Violet's thing._

Sleeveless dress and jacket? _Way too formal. _

Finally, Violet found the perfect shirt: dark purple, knit, sleeveless, and with a turtleneck. She combined it with a white skirt and cream-colored knee-highs.

Mrs. Heaslip had tears in her eyes. "Oh, my baby… when we get home, I'm going to need to make a painting to express how I feel about you finally getting to high school…"

* * *

One family hug later the pair headed out to meet Scoops by the fountain. He had elected to take a formality upgrade, as he was wearing a button-up shirt, a scarf, and a dark green striped jacket.

"Mm, you look so nice! Let me take a picture of you together!"

The couple put an arm over each other's shoulders and beamed as the camera flashed.

"I bet that's going in the yearbook," whispered Violet.

"Heh, what gives you that idea?" Todd pulled himself closer to Violet and kissed her. Although it wasn't their first kiss, it had been a while since the last time their lips had met. Violet put her left hand on his shoulder and her right hand in his short hair. As Violet brushed her fingers through Todd's fuzzy hair, she noticed a strange feeling buzz through them, almost as though her fingers were falling asleep. Then the tips felt like they were burning, and they suddenly went cold. Violet pulled away.

"What is it, Vi?" mumbled Todd.

"Uh… I thought I… I thought I had to sneeze?"

Todd chuckled. "Oh, Violet."

"Todd! Get over here!"

"Heh heh, sorry, Vi. That's my dad. Seeya later!"

Neither teenager saw the five spots of bleached hair on the back of Todd's head.

* * *

"Hey, Mom, I was wondering if I could get my hair cut. Kinda like yours?"

"Sure, you'd look cute with short hair."

All was quiet at the barbershop. Violet listened to the quiet snip snip snip of the scissors, accompanied only by her own thoughts.

_What was going on with my fingers just then? It could just be some random thing, but what? Ugh, this is going to bother me all day… maybe I could tell Becky about it? But I can't shake the feeling that she won't believe me…_

* * *

After the haircut, Violet went to Becky's house. Becky complimented Violet on her new haircut and outfit, and Violet told her she admired Becky's costume switch: a striped sweater and khakis. Violet didn't mention what had happened at the mall with her fingers.

* * *

When Violet got home, she took her new clothes to her room. If she hadn't turned around immediately to help with dinner, she might have noticed the brown paper package resting on her pillow.

* * *

_Yes, it was pretty light and fluffy. But it gets less fluffy later, I swear! Please review, since I'm always looking to improve myself. And feel free to check out the other stories on my profile. _


	2. An Unexpected Gift

_Author's note:_

_Told you this would be up today. I'm trying to get something new up every day, but I've got a backlog that I can resort to if I'm ever in a pinch. _

* * *

Dinner at the Heaslip home was almost always a quiet affair. Unless one of the ladies specifically wanted to share something, there was very little conversation. Tonight was no exception. The only words exchanged between the two dreamy women were compliments.

"Good job on the pasta, Mom. It's perfectly al dente."

"Same with that fruit salad, Vi. You're going to have a much better college experience than I did."

The chore of dishwashing went by equally quickly and quietly. Violet could barely remember what it had been like when there were three Heaslips. Her mother's brother had moved out when Violet was five.

Violet was never sure why her mother kept her maiden name but added Mrs, especially since her husband hadn't even met his daughter before he left. Maybe she wanted everyone to know that her daughter had been conceived in wedlock. Or maybe she just liked the ring of the name.

* * *

"Goodnight, Mom. I'll see you in the morning. Love you."

Violet and her mother exchanged cheek kisses before Violet headed to her bedroom.

"Ugh, I'm pooped!" Even though there was nobody in the room, Violet always talked to herself when she had a private moment. "I won't deny that I had a great day, but it was sure busy. Well, for summer, anyway. I'll probably paint all day tomorrow to work out that tension! Or possibly compose a chain of haiku!" As she chatted away, Violet got undressed, put today's clothes in the laundry, and hung up the seven extra sleeveless sweaters and the seven extra skirts and put away the seven extra pairs of socks. She put on the new silky pajamas. She went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, and she was finally ready for bed.

"Oh, what's this on my pillow?" Violet picked up the package. It felt like there were several long, thin objects and a larger, heavy object that slid around inside. Violet opened the top and slid the sticklike objects into her hand.

"Paintbrushes?" Violet didn't need new paintbrushes. Maybe they were just a present from her mother? Shrugging, Violet gently slid the brushes back into the package and turned out the light.

* * *

When she woke up, Violet reexamined the paintbrushes. The handles looked like silver, and the brushes were sleek and white. The brushes had varying thicknesses. Violet set the very nice paintbrushes down on her pillowcase and pulled out the heavy mass.

It was a small silver pot that fit easily in the palm of Violet's hand. When she unscrewed the lid, she saw it was filled with what appeared to be thick, translucent paint with copious amounts of glitter stirred in. Violet dipped the thinnest brush in, and it came out black. Taking a scrap of paper, Violet trailed the brush around in a formless doodle. It glided easily across the page.

"Wow," whispered Violet. "This is really nice equipment."

Violet pulled out a piece of nicer paper and began to paint. The brush and paint seemed like they would work best with Chinese-style calligraphy, so Violet started at that.

She had made only two strokes when she heard a voice cry, "Stop!"

* * *

Violet spun around. Floating in midair was a tiny purple pegasus with golden feathers. Its eyes were obscured by its thick white mane, and it didn't seem to be flapping its wings at all.

"What?" said Violet, still holding a dripping brush.

"I said stop," replied the pegasus. "Sheesh, you humans are all the same. Just because most o' you will never see a century, you have no concept of waiting!"

"What?" repeated Violet. _Oh dear,_ she thought. _I'm not coming across as very intelligent, am I?_

"The paint and brushes, fool! You see something in a wrapper, ya gotta unwrap it. You get something obviously very special, and ya gotta start playing with it! You're just lucky I stopped you before you did any serious damage."

"Hey, it was a present! And I'm an artist. I know how to use paints and brushes! And… what do you mean by 'serious damage'?"

"Yes, it was a gift, but… oh, for goodness sakes. You're also an arcanist, but that doesn't mean you know how to use powerful magical tools!"

"Arcanist?"

"Wizard, witch, mage, sorcerer, take your pick. You have a buttload of magic in you, and you're able to use it."

Violet found her ability to take this apparition seriously diminish when it said "buttload."

"Um… is there any way you can start from the beginning?"

* * *

_Yes, I'm going to leave you guys hanging with this shorter chapter. Tomorrow, expect a lot of exposition. _


	3. Magic Lesson

No sooner had Violet sat down on the edge of her bed than her mother knocked on her door.

"Violet? Are you up? I want you to get used to the school year sleeping schedule _before_ the first day of school."

Violet scrambled to hide the brushes and paint. From the outside it probably sounded like she was rushing to make it look like she was already up.

"Yeah, mom!" she yelled desperately.

"Oh, there's no rush today, sweetie." Violet could hear the amusement in her mother's voice. "We're not going anywhere. Take all the time you need."

"Thanks, mom! Love you!"

Violet waited until she could no longer hear her mother's footsteps before she took the brushes and paints out of the drawer into which she had hastily stashed them.

"Just wondering," drawled the pegasus, whom Violet had been ignoring, "when you hid the paints, why didn't you try to hide me? I certainly look stranger than some art supplies."

"Um… well, I figured that since you just sort of appeared out of nowhere, you'd be able to conceal yourself without my help. Besides, my mom would probably ask where I got the paint and brushes. They look nice, so she might suspect I stole them."

Violet couldn't read much expression on the pegasus without seeing its eyes, but the way it pursed its lips hinted that it was impressed.

"Clever girl."

On impulse, Violet reached out to touch the pegasus. It didn't resist, though it did actually flap its wings. Its fur was ridiculously soft, and it was very warm to the touch. When Violet closed her hand around its body, she could feel its buzzing heartbeat. Like a mouse, or a hamster…

Violet sat down again on the edge of her bed and released the pegasus from her grip.

"I believe you were going to tell me about magic?"

"Right. Well, I'll spare you the long, hairy theoretical explanation and just tell you that magic works best when you understand what you do to make things happen, but don't think too hard about how or why they happen. It's a very intuitive art."

The pegasus paused and gave Violet a pointed look that was clearly part of its prepared speech.

"Yeah, when I say art I mean art. It's not just the way fanciful humans call their work their art. Magic is linked to every kind of art there is: visual art, three-dimensional art, even the performing arts. If you can use it to express yourself, you can use it to make magic happen."

"So a fashion designer could be a magician?"

"The proper term is arcanist, as I already told you, but yes. Even someone who doesn't design his or her own fashions can be an arcanist. Not everyone is an arcanist, but just about every discipline of art has an arcanist or two who uses it."

"How do people become arcanists?"

"You're born with it. It's not genetic or anything. On the outside, it looks random, but that's just because the rules are so complicated you need like thirty degrees to understand them. So we'll go off the assumption that arcanists are randomly born. Everyone has an equal chance of being born with it, and you were one of the lucky ones. Congratulations."

Violet closed her eyes, shook her head, and puffed air out her lips.

"You don't believe me?"

"No — yes — argh — I believe you, OK?"

The pegasus laughed. "I know, I hate those types of questions too. They make it nearly impossible to answer unambiguously."

"So, uh… who are you? _What_ are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's your name? Your job? Your species? Why are you, specifically, in my room?"

"Well, I'm not comfortable sharing my true name, but—"

"Why? Is it embarrassing?"

The pegasus glared at Violet. "Good gods, girl, do they teach you _anything_ about magic? Of course they don't, they don't believe in magic…" The pegasus sighed. "I don't share my true name because words have power."

Violet snickered. "Anyone in this town could tell you that."

"Wait, so you do know about magic?"

"Not magic! WordGirl! She's a superhero, and…" Violet trailed off, knowing she was geeking out. "She's, uh, big on vocabulary."

There was a beat. It was a perfect beat, written into the stage directions of life. Violet felt like she'd be laughing if she was in the audience.

"Well, OK. I'm talking a different kind of power than your rinky-dink emotional power, though. I'm talking about the power to bind someone to your will, to make them unable to lie to you, to end them with a word. Words are names, and knowing someone's true name gives you power over them. Which is why I'd recommend you choose a new name as soon as possible and never reveal it to anyone."

"Wait, I thought you were born with your true name?"

"It depends with every creature. It's true sprites like me are born knowing our true names, but humans aren't born with them. They have to choose their own."

Violet was quiet for a moment.

"Well, if you don't give out your true name, what do others call you?"

"Everyone calls me something different. What do _you_ think my name is?"

"I don't know!"

The pegasus sighed.

"I just mean… what do you want to call me? It's your choice."

Violet stared for a moment. Then she said, "Seraph. Because it sounds beautiful."

Seraph stammered. "Are you sure? That name… invokes quite a bit of power."

"You told me it was my choice. And I want to call you Seraph."

"Fine."

Violet stared at the pegasus some more. She smiled.

"You know, I'm kind of surprised about the gold feathers."

"Why?"

"Well, everything so far has had this silvery color scheme, but… you're golden." Violet giggled.

"Do you want me to change them? I can change them!" Seraph's wings quickly turned silver. Violet chuckled even harder.

"No, gold's fine. Are you a shapeshifter or something?"

The wings changed back to gold. "Or something. Oh, and protip: nobody else can see me. Take that how you will, because it's just something you should be aware of."

Violet nodded. "Hey, are you a girl or a —"

"Gonna stop you there, hon, because sprites don't have gender."

"Uh… OK. So… my next question. What do you do, and how did it lead you to my bedroom?"

"Well, basically I belong to a division that monitors young arcanists when they experience their first quickenings."

"That's one of those phrases I know I won't have to ask about, because it just screams _exposition waiting to happen_."

"Ha ha ha. You humans think you're so clever."

"What, is this the part where you rant about how humans are so _stupid_ and how it's a _miracle_ that we manage the brainpower to dress ourselves every day?"

"What? No! Humans aren't stupid! Sure, they — er, _you_ — can be impatient, and short-sighted, and unable to put trust into the right people, but those things are more about wisdom than anything. You guys are plenty smart. If you weren't, you wouldn't have magic. Magic is mind, you know."

"Could you explain that last sentence a little more? It sounds kind of like philoso-babble."

"What?"

"You know, stuff the Wise Old Guy on the mountain says in movies. It's supposed to sound super philosophical and wise, but it comes out as _you must look inside yourself to find your true self and save yourself from your other self._ What does it mean?"

"Well, that's really all there is to it. Your magic is bonded with your mind. You can't take someone's magic away without taking away their mind, which is basically a fancy way of killing them without actually stopping their heart."

"Uh… good to know?"

Seraph laughed. "I like you. Anyway, where was I before I went off on a tangent? I do that a lot, you kn… oh, right. Quickening. Quickening is when your magic first starts manifesting. They're uncontrolled, and generally the sooner the arcanist starts training, the better."

"So yesterday with my fingers was quickening?"

"Can you describe it?"

"You're here, so should I just assume yes?"

"Well, maybe. Most people don't notice, because they usually happen when you're excited, or mad, or… yeah, you get my drift. Just tell me what happened yesterday."

"Well, I was kissing my boyfriend at the mall, and — hey, stop laughing! I was kissing my boyfriend, and then my fingers went… funny. Like they were asleep?"

"Asleep?"

"You know how when you sit for a long time, the circulation in your leg or arm can get cut off?"

"Oh, I get it. Continue."

"Well, after my fingers went tingly, they got hot and then cold… this sounds like a really, _really_ bad analogy from an after-school special… but after they went cold, they slowly returned to normal."

"Yeah, sounds like a quickening, all right. Textbook, really. Well, I think that's all you need to know for now. Go eat breakfast. I'll see you tonight… and don't mess with the paints!"

* * *

_All right, there you have it. I actually finished this one before it got too late to write, so I have extra time for chapter 4! Yay!_

_Please post your thoughts in the reviews. I love hearing them. Well, reading. And feel free to check out my other stories, shoot me a PM if you want to talk, and/or take a look at my beta reader profile. I'm going to put up a new poll soon in my profile. _


	4. Tennis

Violet straightened the living room.

Violet messied the living room.

Violet re-straightened the living room.

Violet's mom stopped her with a hand on her shoulder as she headed out the back door.

"Violet, are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to straighten all the grass in the backyard."

Violet's mother put her other hand on her other shoulder. There was a long pause as she stared into her daughter's eyes.

"Honey… I'm worried about you."

"Why?"

The elder Heaslip didn't answer.

"I'm bored, Mom. I've been waiting for high school to start since the beginning of ninth grade, and even though there are only a few more weeks…" Violet finished her sentence with a sigh.

Violet's mother returned the sigh.

"Oh, Vi, I understand how it can be when you're waiting for something big to happen. I was just as antsy the summer before I started high school. Have you tried a collage?"

_Antsy? Something big? Oh, Mom, you don't know the half of it._

"Um…" began Violet, "I dunno about collage. That and origami were always your things. I'm really not sure what to do…"

As if on cue, the family phone rang. Since Violet was closer, she picked it up.

"Hello, Violet speaking."

"Vi!" Becky's voice rang through the tinny speaker. Violet winced slightly. It always felt weird when Becky used Todd's pet name for her.

Still, Violet was pleased to talk to Becky. Yesterday's meeting had been too brief, as both girls had needed to eat dinner.

"Hey, Becky."

"You doing anything today?"

Violet had been about to say "yes," but then she remembered it probably wouldn't be the best of ideas to tell people about Seraph. Or magic. Or probably even the paints and brushes. Violet frowned, forgetting for a moment that her mother could see her. Keeping secrets was weird.

"No, not really." She hoped her mom would assume she'd merely been thinking.

"Great! You wanna come play tennis?"

"Oh, I don't know, Becky, you're a lot better than me. I mean, you're so athletic…"

"Oh, no, this would be doubles. It was The— uh, Tobey's idea."

That was right, Becky had started going out with Tobey. Though Violet couldn't deny she'd seen it coming since… well, fifth grade, really, it was still somewhat jarring to see their belligerent flirting transition so quickly through playful friendship to synergic courtship.

"That sounds fair. Who're we playing with, Bob?" The suggestion was a joke. Violet hoped Becky had a double date in mind.

"Actually, would you mind calling Scoops up?" Becky was the only one Violet knew who still used the old nickname.

"Sure, that sounds cool! Where should we meet?"

"You know the tennis courts by the park?"

"I know the park, and I can probably find the courts."

"Great! Is ten too early?"

Violet glanced at the wall clock. 8:46.

"Nah, that sounds about good. See you then!"

"Bye, Violet!"

Violet hung up, and as she dialed Todd's number, she said, "Mom, Becky wants to play tennis at ten. That OK with you?"

"Fine with me, sweetie. Want me to take you to the courts?"

Violet held up a finger. She could hear the line ringing.

"Hello?" It was Mrs. Ming.

"Hey, this is Violet. Can I talk to Todd?"

"Sure thing, darling." Violet heard Todd's mother yell something in Chinese. The sounds of commotion followed, and soon enough, Todd's familiar voice came on.

"Hey, Vi. Mom said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah, Becky just called me. Wanna go on a double date? It's tennis."

"Sounds like a great idea! What time?"

"Ten. You need a ride? My mom says she can give us one."

"That sounds good."

Violet covered the mouthpiece. "Mom, when will we pick up Todd?"

"At ten 'till, Violet." Mrs. Heaslip seemed amused that Violet hadn't actually asked before offering her services.

"Great!" She uncovered the phone. "Mom says to be ready at 9:50."

"Super, see you then!"

"Awesome!"

"And Vi?" His voice was tender.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"You too, Todd."

With a wide smile the teenage girl hung up the phone.

"We've got tennis rackets, right?"

* * *

There were indeed tennis rackets in the garage, though it took a bit of hunting to find them. Violet had only a half hour left to eat and change into her new outfit from her grubby pajamas.

At 9:50, the Heaslip car pulled into the Ming driveway, and as Violet opened the door to get out and fetch Todd, the teenage boy stepped out of his front door. She noticed that he was wearing his junior high clothes: a lime-green shirt and jeans. Violet glanced at her high school clothes and wondered if she should have done the same. She decided it couldn't hurt. The skirt had plenty of mobility.

"Hey, Todd," she said as the Asian boy climbed into the backseat and fastened his seatbelt.

"Right on time as always, Vi." He set his racket on the two seats next to him, and there was chatter in the small car all the way to the park.

Both Becky and Tobey were wearing summer clothes when Violet and Todd met up with them. Shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers. A matching pair. _Did they plan this? _thought Violet, and she felt a small twinge of envy toward the other couple. It soon vanished, and Violet was left with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. _I'm not usually so jealous…_ She hoped this wasn't a magical side effect.

The negativity passed as the four friends united and made their way to the vacant courts, and soon Violet was able to put it out of her mind.

"All right, how should we pair up?" asked Becky. "Girls vs. guys? Couples on the same team?"

"Why not rotate?" suggested Scoops.

"Sounds like a good idea," Tobey said. "But whoever's against Becky at the time should get a head start." The blond teen grinned as his girlfriend playfully punched him in the shoulder and smooched his cheek.

"That seems fair, actually," said Violet, and the other three laughed, especially the boys. When Violet realized they weren't making fun of her, she joined in.

* * *

The hours passed quickly as the four teens played. Violet enjoyed each of her partners, though predictably, Becky's team won nearly every match, and Violet suspected she and Todd had thrown the one they hadn't.

Tobey was easily the least athletic, so whenever he was with Violet, she let him stand in the front of the court so she could catch the serves he missed. It was kind of funny watching him frantically dash from side to side, and Violet giggled to herself whenever Becky gave him tips. She seemed to like using the standard flirty method of coaching: reaching her arms around his body to position his hands. Violet could tell from his expression — and blushing — that he enjoyed Becky's advice.

Though Todd wasn't nearly as good as Becky, he was Violet's favorite partner. She felt they worked together better than she did with either of the others, even though that meant they lost even more handily to Becky and Tobey's teamwork. It seemed Becky was able to use Tobey's… unique abilities (well, lack thereof) to her advantage, and it was clear the two worked well together.

Becky was a great partner, but Violet really enjoyed, from an artistic perspective, watching her move. There was a grace, an ease, a flair even to her every action, and Violet struggled to figure out the best way to describe it. Eventually, after staring at Becky's perfect form, the way everything seemed to come so naturally to her, Violet concluded the best word was "lightness." Becky carried herself as though her body weighed nothing at all, like the racket was made of styrofoam. _She's like an angel…_ thought Violet.

She almost didn't notice the constant looks Tobey and Becky shared, the smirks, the way it seemed like they were sharing an inside joke. But she did notice, and she felt her stomach sink. _Is she keeping a secret from me? Maybe it's just something that happened between the two of them only… but I think I feel a little less guilty about not telling her about magic. She just wouldn't understand. _

* * *

As the foursome played, the late morning turned into early afternoon, and a few hours after they started, the water cooler was empty.

"Aw, I guess it's time to go home now," said Becky. "Great games, everyone!"

Todd rubbed his chin. "Hey, I think I have an idea for one last match."

* * *

"You can't be serious," protested Becky for the last time. But the other three stood on the opposite side of the court relentlessly. Tobey even tapped his foot, though he had a massive grin.

"Pfft, fine," conceded the brunette.

"Don't go easy on us!" teased Violet.

"No, really," said Todd. "If you can beat us, feel free."

Becky crossed her arms.

"OK, OK, let's just start then!"

As Becky walked over to the ball bucket, the three opposing teenagers took their positions. Tobey was in the front center, while Violet and Scoops stood symmetrically in the back. Violet stepped back when Becky got ready to serve.

The serve was a lot faster than Violet had expected, and she barely managed to catch the ball with her racket. The surprising force reverberated through her bones, and Violet saw it land just inside the lines. Becky was quick — almost _too_ quick — to return the tennis ball, which bounced past Violet.

The game flew by quickly at first, but gradually the three humans acclimatized to the stiff competition Becky brought, and her points came slower and slower. They could all tell she gave several points away to increase the drama, but it never felt like she was really going easy on them — just saving her best performance for last. Finally, when everyone except Becky was panting and practically begging for mercy, she ended it with a quick, forceful stroke.

Tobey flopped to the ground, and Todd and Violet hunched over, panting and perspiring more than they had in weeks.

* * *

"I don't know how you do it, Becky," huffed Violet between turns at the park's singular drinking fountain. Though anyone could taste the traces of chlorine, they all drank copiously, even Becky.

"Uh… lots of practice?"

Everyone laughed. Todd choked on his water, and Violet had to slap him on the back.

* * *

The four walked home together, chatting all the while. What started out as a group conversation eventually splintered into a pair of parallel conversations between the couples.

Todd's house was the closest to the park, and he and Violet shared a brief kiss before he retreated into his house. As the glass door closed and he turned around, Violet could have sworn she saw splotches of yellow-blonde hair on the back of Todd's head… but those could easily be reflections on the door.

Tobey's house, though it was next, was more than two blocks away. He and Becky chatted as Violet quietly walked behind.

"See, I told you you were better than the three of us put together! Although I think by the end you were just showing off…"

Becky playfully shushed her boyfriend, whispering something Violet was barely unable to catch.

_What's going on?_ she wondered.

It was a relief when the threesome arrived at the MacAllister residence and Claire opened the door to let her son in.

_Finally, alone time with Becky,_ thought Violet. _I won't push her about it, but if she mentions what she and Tobey are joking about, I'll tell her everything. _

Unfortunately, Becky began yammering about how excited she was for high school. Violet managed to get in a couple of thoughts, but, as usual, the Botsford girl dominated the conversation.

* * *

As Becky unlocked her front door, Violet waved.

"See ya later… best friend…"

"You too! BFF!"

Violet began the solo walk home, remembering a conversation from years ago.

_"Becky? Are we still… BFFs?"_

Becky had proven herself, and Violet knew she was probably being unfair to her best friend, but… she'd never been able to shake the sense that Becky was hiding something big from her.

"Guess I can join the club," she muttered miserably.

* * *

Violet could never stay sad for long, and by the time she got home, she was all smiles again. She gushed to her mother about every detail, and announced her desire to do this every Tuesday. She even added a handful of tiles to the Good Things Mosaic. (Usually, each Good Thing only warranted one tile.)

One thing above all others kept Violet on the absolute top of the world through dinner and the dishes, and when it was finally time, she dashed to her room, locked the door, and flicked on the light.

"It's about time," said Seraph with a grin. "Ready to get started?"


End file.
